Peter Neiner Named 2011 Kingson Award Winner

Random acts of kindness often go unnoticed. Yet on the morning of May 11, the spotlight was on CT Technical Assistant Peter Neiner (center), having been presented with the 2011 Joan Fernbach Kingson Award by Crouse Hospital President and CEO Paul Kronenberg, MD (left) and Aaron Kingson.

“At Crouse, we strive to treat patients as if they were members of our family, as if each one was our own momma,” said Dr. Kronenberg. “Today’s award recipient is a shining example of how to achieve that goal. By relating to each patient and family on a very personal level — comforting those under enormous stress, using humor in caring ways, doing simple acts of kindness — Peter brings our mission, vision and values to life.”

The annual award, which comes with a cash prize, is made possible by the family and friends of former Crouse Hospital patient Joan Fernbach Kingson, a nurse and educator who passed away in 2001. Her husband, Dr. Eric Kingson, professor of Social Work and Public Administration and CPR Senior Research Associate at Syracuse University is the author of Lessons from Joan: Living and Loving with Cancer, a Husband’s Story.

The first Kingson Award was presented in 2005. Service or technical workers at the hospital are nominated by their peers and then selected by a committee for their involvement in the patient care process that gives vivid expression to the values of care that the late Mrs. Kingson was committed to in her work with children and families. Those values include treating each patient as an individual; respecting the social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs of others; and welcoming families, especially the young, into the caring process.

CT Supervisor Robyn Ouderkirk says going the extra mile and doing something special yet unexpected is a daily routine for Neiner, a Syracuse resident who’s been a part of the Crouse Medical Imaging team at Crouse since 2005. “Whether it’s buying coffee for the family of a patient on comfort care, providing extra assistance to colleagues when the department is extremely busy or sharing a lighthearted moment with someone very ill, Peter touches lives and serves as a role model for others every day,” said Ouderkirk.